Starting in 3rd

lo for hills
1 for loaded
2 for empty
3 for bobtail

i don't want be broke down for a week for a new clutch. and broke down again cuz the wrong parts got installed. as so commonly seems to happen.

higher the gear, longer it takes to release. that equals burning up. never ride clutch. company men get fired for doing such things.

if you ride the clutch. it leaves blue marks on the plate and flywheel.

 

10spd becomes a 5spd when mty. 3-5-7-9-10 starting in 4th ends up with 8-10 which is too far apart but a 6spd is still ok.

You'll know the gear is to hight to start in when the truck starts bucking.

 

No sarcasm. I really do use all the gears all the time. Pushing 700,000 miles on same clutch same clutch brake. Goes back to Marine Corps Motor Transport School, using all the gears, staying off the clutch pedal. Starting out in higher gear is the same as riding the clutch pedal about halfway when the driver transfers torque to the drive train. There is massive wear happening there.

Now a lot of times when backing into a tight spot between trucks I have been known to 'half clutch' the pedal to ease and slow down things and finesse the trailer in the hole. I don't like doing it but it doesn't take very long, transmission temperature gauge says normal. Rather do some wear there rather than bump someone's equipment.

Few weeks ago saw a guy trying to back in as I was walking by his tractor. I raised my arm up to let him know I would move back to help him spot but he kept going back seemingly to me clutch all the way out and his trailer corner backed right into a Prostar with its side window open and shattered it. Then the guy put her in 3rd (I guess) because he split out of there awefully fast.

 

I start in 1st if I am loaded, 2nd if I am empty, 3rd if I am bobtailing.

 

That's the rule of thumb I use...

... but then I'm all thumbs.

Lo, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th... it really depends on what drive train setup you have, how heavy the load is, and whether you need to be up to speed quickly or not. Close quarter work in a yard I rarely start in anything but LO or 1st.

 

Not reading the threads answers, were you loaded? Starting at 3 is OK if your Mt and your down grade.

 

The I shift usually starts in 1st unless it senses you're on a downgrade and then it automatically selects 2nd or 3rd. It does give you the option to select a higher starting gear even if it starts in 1st depending on grade/load.

I think it's started out in 4th on its own when bobtail.

 

Here's what Cummins said years ago. Start the vehicle from a standstill at the slowest engine speed that will move the load. What they are saying is you start the truck in a selected gear that will move the truck without any power applied. If third gear move the truck without your foot on the go pedal then you've selected the right gear. That is if forth gear will not move the truck. Never apply power and slip the clutch. You would be applying too much torque to all the drive line. You don't need every gear in the truck. Sure if you're loaded up to a very heavy load those gears should be used. We loaded or trucks for city gasoline delivery and most of us started in 3rd and shifted to the next gear as soon as we could. No one ever raced the engine shifting up against the peg. We made the shift as soon as we could and most of us used progressive shifting. That's on the up side. Going down we skipped gears because we didn't need the power when slowing down. The company bought and used the trucks for 5 years then we sold them for top dollar. I remember one truck we sold. It was a KW straight truck with a drop axle and a 5000 gallon tank mount to the truck. Back in mid 1990's it sold for $55,000. We figured that truck got it's money worth.

 

Bad for the clutch

 

Same for me. I was taught that you never rev the engine to get going. If you have to then your in too high of a gear.